The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will vote May 10 on the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023.
The measure builds upon legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), J.D. Vance (R-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), and John Fetterman (D-PA), along with U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), following the devastating train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
“No one should lose sleep at night worrying that railroads are cutting corners on safety and putting their communities at risk for disasters like the one in East Palestine,” said U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. “This week, the Commerce Committee will vote on bipartisan legislation that mandates the use of technology that can identify equipment failures, prevents 30-second railcar inspections, and ensures trains carrying explosive material like the East Palestine train comply with stronger safety regulations. The bill also supports emergency preparedness by providing funding to local first responders to purchase equipment and requires railroads to tell states what materials trains are carrying through their communities. I hope my colleagues join me in passing this legislation to hold the railroads to account and raise the bar on safety.”
The legislation includes eight provisions, which:
- Mandates the use of defect detectors and requires railroads to submit plans to the Federal Railroad Administration proving they will deploy the defect detectors.
- Expands the list of the types of chemicals that trigger hazardous materials safety requirements.
- Requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to approve railroad hazmat response plans and that railroads have their own hazmat spill response teams.
- Mandates all railcars have a thorough inspection at least once every five years by a trained mechanic, improves the regular maintenance of railcars, and prevents railroads from imposing time requirements on inspectors.
- Increases penalties for violating rail safety laws to ensure safety laws from $100,000 to $10 million.
- Requires all trains operated by Class I railroads are operated with two crewmembers.
- Closes a gap in the existing Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and the Hazardous Materials Superfund to make $10 million available to reimburse first responders.
- Expands the existing Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grant to allow fire departments to purchase personal protective gear.